Convertible Carrying Apparatus

ABSTRACT

A convertible carrying apparatus for items such as toys comprises a flat sheet of flexible material with an optional smaller and centered rigid section. The sheet may be one or several layers and may have any shaped perimeter including octagonal, square, or circular. One or more gatherers are disposed about the perimeter of the sheet and a permanent or removeable grip is attached to one of the gatherers. The gatherers may be two or more handles, two or more ties, or a continuous drawstring that is threaded through a channel around the perimeter of the sheet and exposed at two or more locations around the perimeter of the sheet. The grip may include a fastener for securing it around the gatherers. When an item or many items are placed on the sheet, the gatherers can be collected or secured together with the grip. When the sheet is lifted by the grip, the sheet becomes a carrying apparatus for the items originally placed on the sheet. When desired, the carrying bag can set down, the grip can be unfastened, and the sheet can again lay flat.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of co-pending U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/197,707 filed Oct. 29, 2008.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates generally to a convertible carrying apparatus.This invention relates more specifically to a carrying apparatus thatcan open flat when not transporting items and can be gathered andsecured with a handle when transporting items.

BACKGROUND

The current trend for children's toys is the production and marketing ofadditional or supplementary pieces to enhance or complement an originaltoy purchase. For example, dolls not only come with clothes, butfurniture, cars, pets, and other accessories can also be purchased. Acollection of super-hero figures can be enhanced with vehicles, weapons,armor, etc. Managing, storing and transporting all these toy pieces canbe overwhelming. As many children and adults know, fun can quickly turninto frustration when one must decide which toys “have to stay at home”or when one searches unsuccessfully for a missing toy.

The most common way children and adults store or transport toys is touse a box or bag. However, a box has several disadvantages. A box cannotbe resized: thus, a box that holds fifty toys also holds two toys, butcannot be reduced in size to save space despite the number of toys. Inthe quest to live “greener,” people are choosing to replace disposableplastic and paper boxes and bags with a reusable product. Boxes can alsobe unwieldy and awkward for children to carry. Because toys contained ina box become buried under other toys, a child is forced to dig throughthe box or dump all the toys out to find the desired toy. A box may betoo large for a child to dump out. Also, most boxes require a lid andlids can be easily misplaced and difficult for children to open. Bagshave a similar disadvantage of making it difficult to see toys that maybe buried under other toys. Even the conventional drawstring toy bag hasthis same disadvantage, requiring children to dump all the contents outof the bag in order to see all the toys or share the toys with otherswhile playing.

Today's children are frequently on the go, traveling in the car, onplanes, etc. Children need an easy and convenient way to take their toyswherever they go. While a box may keep all the toys together, it may bedifficult to carry a box in a car or on a plane. A box can fall over, itcan be cumbersome to put in the car or pack in a bag or backpack, it maynot fit well, or it can be too large to fit at all.

Once children are ready to play, they may need a place to play. Parentsoften feel the need to spread out a blanket or cloth so their childrenhave a clean or uncluttered place to lay out their toys to play.Combining a play surface with a portable toy bag would be very efficientand advantageous.

Finally, when playing is done, children and adults face the biggestchallenge of all: picking up the toys. Picking up toys is the leastfavorite part of playing, and as a consequence toys often remain out,which can lead to lost and misplaced toys. There is a need for a devicethat enables children to conveniently carry their toys with them, haveeasy access to all their toys when playing and pick up their toysquickly and with little effort. This need is not limited to children;adults also have a need for a device which allows them to display andquickly gather objects for transport or storage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention is a convertible carrying apparatus for items such astoys. It is made of a flat sheet of cloth or other flexible material. Itcan optionally include a rigid structure section smaller in size thanthe overall sheet and centered on the sheet. The perimeter of the sheetmay be any shape including octagonal, square, or circular, and the sheetmay be one or several layers. Around the perimeter of the sheet, thecarrying apparatus includes one or more gatherers and a permanent orremoveable grip. The gatherers may be two or more handles, two or moretabs or ties, or a continuous drawstring that is threaded through achannel around the perimeter of the sheet and exposed at two or morelocations around the perimeter of the sheet. The permanent or removeablegrip secures to at least one of the gatherers. For example, the grip canbe secured to one of the handles, one of the ties, or along one portionof the exposed drawstring. The grip can be made of cloth, anotherflexible material, a rigid material, or a combination of flexible andrigid material. The grip may also include a fastener for securing itaround the collected gatherers.

When an item or many items are placed on the sheet, the handles, tabs,ties, or exposed drawstring portions can be gathered together, drawn up,collected or secured together with the grip. When the sheet is lifted bythe grip, the sheet becomes a carrying apparatus for the itemsoriginally placed on the sheet. When desired, the carrying bag can setdown, the grip can be unfastened, and the sheet can again lay flat.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top view of an embodiment of the invention laid flat.

FIG. 2 is an elevation view of an embodiment of the invention drawn upas a bag.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the grip.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the grip.

FIG. 5 is a top view of an alternative embodiment of the invention laidflat.

FIG. 6 is an elevation view of an alternative embodiment of theinvention drawn up as a bag.

FIG. 7 is a top view of an alternative embodiment of the invention laidflat.

FIG. 8 is an elevation view of an alternative embodiment of theinvention drawn up as a bag.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the convertible carryingapparatus. A sheet 1 creates a substantially flat playing surface andcan be converted to a carrying apparatus. Sheet 1 can have a perimeter10 of any shape. For example, the perimeter can be triangular, square,circular, hexagonal, or octagonal. Preferably, perimeter 10 isoctagonal, as shown in FIG. 1. Additionally, sheet 1 can be one, two, ormany layers of any flexible materials, such as cloth, leather, plastic,or nylon. Preferably, sheet 1 is large enough to form a play surface onwhich a child can sit, move around, and play with his toys, or sheet 1can be smaller in size so that it forms a play surface that a child canuse in confined spaces, such as on an airplane or at a restaurant table.Preferably, the sheet has a diameter between 16 and 36 inches, but itcan be as small as possible while still being an effective carryingapparatus, and as large as possible while not being unwieldy for aperson to carry. A preferred embodiment allows the invention to bewashable or reusable. Alternatively, it may be disposable.

In an alternative embodiment of sheet 1, it can also include a rigidstructure section smaller in overall size than the sheet and preferablysubstantially centered on the sheet. The rigid structure can be used toform a base so that when sheet 1 is drawn up into a carrying bag, therigid structure provides extra protection for the items in the carryingbag. The perimeter 13 of the rigid structure can mimic the perimeter 10of sheet 1, or it can have a different shape. The rigid structure can besubstantially flat like sheet 1 or it can include a lip, edge, or wallsabout its perimeter. FIG. 7 illustrates a substantially flat rigidstructure 11 centered on sheet 1. Rigid structure 11 can be permanentlyor removably connected to sheet 1. For example, rigid structure 11 canbe a removable piece of plastic or cardboard that is removably connectedto sheet 1 with a hook-and-loop-type fastener such as Velcro®.Alternatively, rigid structure 11 can be permanently glued, adhered, orstitched to one of the layers of material forming sheet 1 or between twoof the layers of material forming sheet 1.

Connected around the perimeter of sheet 1 are one or more gatherers,such as a drawstring, ties, tabs, or handles. Gatherers can also includeany other structure useful for bringing together two or more differentitems or two or more different portions of a single item. The embodimentshown in FIG. 1 illustrates a drawstring 6 as a gatherer, and theembodiment shown in FIGS. 5-8 illustrates handles 12 a-12 d asgatherers.

As shown in FIG. 1, a continuous drawstring 6 is arranged about theperimeter of sheet 1. Drawstring 6 can be made of any elastic ornon-elastic material and can be a continuous string or multiple strings.Drawstring 6 is moveably connected to sheet 1 by being strung throughseveral holes 2 arranged about perimeter 10. Holes 2 can perforate theentire thickness of sheet 1 or only some of the layers of sheet 1. Forexample, if sheet 1 consists of only one layer of material, then holes 2perforate the layer entirely and the drawstring is always exposed on oneside of the sheet or the other. Alternatively, if sheet 1 consists oftwo or more layers of material, then holes 2 may perforate all layers orholes 2 may perforate only the top layer, preserving the structuralintegrity of the bottom layers. In this embodiment, a hem, casing, orchannel 8 is created with stitching 7. Portions of drawstring 6 can bestrung through channel 8 so that portions of drawstring 6 are moveablyencased in channel 8 while additional portions of drawstring 6 areexposed, as shown in FIG. 1. Preferably, sheet 1 is constructed of twoor more layers, and stitching 7 creates a channel 8 for drawstring 6, asshown in FIG. 1. Also in the preferred embodiment, holes 2 onlyperforate one layer of sheet 1, leaving at least one layer without holes2. Additionally, each of holes 2 is preferably reinforced at itsperiphery with a grommet, edge stitching, or other rigid annularstructure 3. Two or more portions of drawstring 6 are exposed along theperimeter 10 of sheet 1 so that they can be collected when using sheet 1as a carrying apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 5, as an alternative to drawstring 6, two or morehandles can be used as gatherers. The handles can be constructed of anytype of flexible or rigid material, such as plastic, cloth, leather, orflexible webbed material. The handles also can be placed anywhere aroundperimeter 10, but are preferably spaced equally from each other and liesubstantially flat when sheet 1 is laying substantially flat. Preferablythe handles are permanently connected to sheet 1, for example eitherwith stitching or adhesive. Alternatively, the handles can be removablyconnected, for example with snaps, buttons, or ties. FIG. 5 illustratessheet 1 having an octagonal perimeter with four permanently connectedhandles 12 a, 12 b, 12 c, and 12 d. The octagonal perimeter includesfirst corner 14 a, second corner 14 b, third corner 14 c, fourth corner14 d, fifth corner 14 e, sixth corner 14 f, seventh corner 14 g, andeighth corner 14 h. Preferably and as shown, handles 12 a-12 d areplaced at every other corner of the perimeter. Handle 12 a is attachedat first corner 14 a, handle 12 b is attached at third corner 14 c,handle 12 c is attached at fifth corner 14 e, and handle 12 d isattached at seventh corner 14 g. By placing handles 12 a-12 d at everyother corner, the sides can fold in on themselves as shown in FIG. 6,which helps contain the items. For example, to fold sheet 1 as shown inFIG. 6, first a user holds handle 12 a in his hand, preferably with agrip 4. Second, the user brings handle 12 c to his hand to mate withhandle 12 a so that both handle 12 a and 12 c are collected in theuser's hand. Third, the user brings either handle 12 b or handle 12 d tohis hand to mate with handles 12 a and 12 c so that three of the handlesare collected in the user's hand. Fourth, the user brings the lastremaining handle, either handle 12 b or 12 d, to his hand to mate withthe three previously collected handles. After the four handles have beencollected in the user's hand, grip 4 can be secured around all fourhandles to create a comfortable grip for the user and to help the userkeep the handles securely collected together, with the sides folded inon themselves. Alternatively, handles 12 a-12 d can be place at otherpositions along perimeter 10 instead of at the corners. Alsoalternatively, additional or fewer handles can be used.

As an alternative to a drawstring or handles, other gathering structurescan be substituted. For example, several ties or tabs can be spacedabout the perimeter 10 of sheet 1. As with the handles, the ties or tabsalso can be permanently connected to sheet 1 or removably connected. Thetabs can be collected and secured together with buttons, snaps, or otherfasteners. Likewise, if ties are used, they can be collected and securedtogether by tying one or more bows or knots. Additionally, any otherform of collecting the edges of the perimeter can be substituted so thatthe sheet can be suspended and supported its perimeter.

To secure the gatherers together and to form a comfortable carryingsurface for a user's hand, a grip 4 is permanently or removablyconnected to at least one of the gatherers. A preferred embodiment ofgrip 4 is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Grip 4 collects or secures togetherthe gatherers and allows for lifting or suspending sheet 1. Grip 4 alsoenables a user to easily carry the carrying bag without hurting theirfingers because it helps to distribute the weight of the drawstring,handles, or other gatherers. Grip 4 can be made of one or several layersof flexible materials such as cloth, leather, or nylon. Alternatively,grip 4 can be made of a rigid material such as plastic piping or can beconstructed of a combination of flexible and rigid materials. Grip 4 canbe opened or closed and preferably includes fasteners 5 for securing itin a closed position. Fasteners 5 include buttons, zippers, clips,magnets, loops, hook-and-loop-type fasteners such as Velcro®, or otherseparable fasteners. FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate grip 4 and ahook-and-loop-type fastener 5.

By accommodating several gatherers or portions of a single gatherersurrounding the perimeter of sheet 1, the perimeter of sheet 1 can becollected near grip 4 while the center of sheet 1 can be suspended likea carrying bag. FIG. 2 illustrates grip 4 collecting exposed portions ofa drawstring to create a carrying bag. FIG. 6 illustrates grip 4collecting several handles to create a carrying bag where sheet 1 isconstructed of only flexible material. FIG. 8 illustrates grip 4collecting several handles to create a carrying bag where sheet 1 isconstructed of flexible material with a rigid section 11 at its center.Once the gatherers are collected and secured, the carrying bag can behung from a support such as a hook, peg, or hand. Then, when a childwishes to play with the items in the carrying bag, the gatherers arereleased form grip 4 and sheet 1 converts back to its flatconfiguration.

While there has been illustrated and described what is at presentconsidered to be the preferred embodiment of the present invention, itwill be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes andmodifications may be made and equivalents may be substituted forelements thereof without departing from the true scope of the invention.Therefore, it is intended that this invention not be limited to theparticular embodiment disclosed, but that the invention will include allembodiments falling within the scope of this description.

1. A carrying apparatus comprising: a. a flexible sheet having aperimeter; b. one or more gatherers connected to the perimeter of thesheet; and c. a grip connected to at least one gatherer.
 2. The carryingapparatus of claim 1 wherein the gatherer comprises a drawstring.
 3. Thecarrying apparatus of claim 1 wherein the gatherer comprises two or morehandles.
 4. The carrying apparatus of claim 1 wherein the grip ispermanently connected to at least one gatherer.
 5. The carryingapparatus of claim 1 wherein the grip comprises a fastener.
 6. Thecarrying apparatus of claim 1 wherein the grip comprises a flexiblematerial.
 7. The carrying apparatus of claim 1 wherein the gripcomprises a rigid material.
 8. The carrying apparatus of claim 1 whereinthe grip is removably connected to at least one gatherer.
 9. Thecarrying apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a rigid structureconnected to the sheet, wherein the rigid structure comprises rigidmaterial having a smaller perimeter than the perimeter of the sheet. 10.The carrying apparatus of claim 3 wherein the grip is connected to oneof the handles.
 11. The carrying apparatus of claim 5 wherein thefastener comprises a hook-and-loop-type fastener.
 12. The carryingapparatus of claim 5 wherein the fastener comprises one or more snaps.13. The carrying apparatus of claim 6 wherein the grip further comprisesa rigid material.
 14. The carrying apparatus of claim 1 wherein theperimeter of the sheet comprises an octagon.
 15. The carrying apparatusof claim 3 further comprising four handles spaced equidistant around theperimeter of the sheet.
 16. The carrying apparatus of claim 3 whereinthe perimeter of the sheet comprises an octagon having a first corner, asecond corner, a third corner, a fourth corner, a fifth corner, a sixthcorner, a seventh corner, and an eighth corner and wherein the gatherercomprises a first handle connected to the first corner, a second handleconnected to the third corner, a third handle connected to the fifthcorner, and a fourth handle connected to the seventh corner.
 17. Thecarrying apparatus of claim 3 wherein the handles comprises a flexiblewebbed material.
 18. A carrying apparatus comprising: a. a flexiblesheet having a perimeter and one or more channels along the perimeter;b. a drawstring comprising one or more drawstring portions moveablyencased in the one or more channels and one or more exposed drawstringportions; and c. a grip connected to one or more exposed drawstringportions, wherein the grip comprises a fastener.
 19. A carryingapparatus comprising: a. a flexible sheet having a perimeter; b. a firsthandle permanently connected to the perimeter of the sheet; c. one ormore additional handles permanently connected to the perimeter of thesheet; and d. a grip permanently connected to the first handle andcapable of removably attaching to the additional handles.
 20. Thecarrying apparatus of claim 19 wherein the perimeter of the sheetcomprises an octagon having a first corner, a second corner, a thirdcorner, a fourth corner, a fifth corner, a sixth corner, a seventhcorner, and an eighth corner; wherein additional handles comprise asecond handle, a third handle and a fourth handle; and wherein the firsthandle is permanently connected to the first corner, the second handleis permanently connected to the third corner, the third handle ispermanently connected to the fifth corner, and the fourth handle ispermanently connected to the seventh corner.